For its first presence at the CES in Las Vegas, Komatsu is already aiming for the moon. The Japanese construction equipment company presents an original concept of an excavator that would be designed to operate on Earth’s satellite. This vehicle does not have a driving cabin and would be controlled remotely.
Although the return to the Moon is planned for the coming years, the idea of shaping the lunar soil, for the construction of a base, for example, could be realized. However, this represents a significant challenge, since a difference in gravity must be taken into account, but also a temperature that can vary between 120 °C and -170 °C, solar radiation and a communication delay that can reach the 3 seconds.
This machine will also have interest in limiting its weight, with an estimated cost of more than 100 million yen (640,000 euros) per kg transported to the Moon.
An amphibious excavator converted to electric
This space excavator is a way for Komatsu to show some knowledge about specific solutions capable of responding to extreme situations.
At its stand, in addition to the more traditional excavators, the first smaller than a scooter and the other gigantic, the company also presents its amphibious excavator, already present in its catalogue. A machine also without a cabin, remotely controllable and capable, for example, of dredging aquatic beds or evacuating waste after a natural disaster, up to 7 meters deep.
If the original model runs on diesel, with an exhaust outlet that goes to the surface, the one on display is a prototype converted to electric. “However, it retains this mast to maintain a good GPS signal during an operation,” a company spokesperson told us.
Included in the program is a 500 kWh battery (almost 10 Peugeot e-208 batteries) that would allow operation for 6 hours. Charging time is advertised as 4 hours, with a peak of 210 kW on a CCS outlet.
Source: BFM TV
